POTINS 54

Wen Zhongyi stayed in Sanka for over half a month.

During that time, Meng Chuan returned alone using the stone and explained everything to Zhou Lu and Meng Jun.

Zhou Lu, having lived for most of her life, had never heard of anything so fantastical. After a long pause to process, she trembled as she asked, “So what you’re saying is… Xiao Wen is actually an alien, and these past few days weren’t a vacation, but a trip to another world to meet his real parents?”

“That’s what I’m saying,” Meng Chuan replied.

“Oh my god.” Zhou Lu murmured, “No wonder Xiao Wen can get pregnant and have a baby—he’s not from Earth… Then the baby must be an alien too. No, wait, a hybrid of Earth and alien.”

She looked a bit dazed, probably thinking of the pointy-chinned, big-eyed aliens from sci-fi movies.

Meng Jun was a bit calmer. He took a deep breath and asked, “Will Xiao Wen come back?”

“He will.” Meng Chuan nodded. “He wants to work here.”

Zhou Lu breathed a sigh of relief, then asked curiously, “Does he travel back and forth in a UFO?”

“No UFOs—just a stone.” Meng Chuan opened his palm and showed them the glowing stone, sighing, “Didn’t I just explain this?”

“Oh, right.” Zhou Lu rubbed her temples, her brain unable to keep up.

The reason Meng Chuan hadn’t told them earlier was precisely because he feared they wouldn’t be able to handle it.

But since things had already come this far, Meng Chuan decided to lay everything out. “Actually, when I disappeared for those four years, it was because I’d traveled to his world. But after I came back, I lost my memory. It wasn’t until the recent car accident that I remembered everything.”

“…Just stop talking for a moment,” Zhou Lu said, closing her eyes. “Let me process this.”

After quite a while, Zhou Lu seemed to have sorted her thoughts. Her fingers reached out, clinging to Meng Jun’s hand for support. “…Okay, go on.”

By the time Meng Chuan finished calming his shocked parents, over two hours had passed.

Zhou Lu muttered something about needing a nap, and Meng Jun accompanied her upstairs.

Meng Chuan sat alone on the couch, replying to all the unread messages on his phone.

Before leaving, he’d posted a status saying he was going on vacation and wouldn’t be checking his phone—if anything came up, people should leave a message.

Ji Shu and his other rowdy friends all asked where he went and how he managed to stay off his phone so long. Even Yang Jiaran, unable to reach Wen Zhongyi, came asking.

There were also a few messages from business partners, but nothing urgent. After all, his father had been taking care of the company.

Looking at it that way, his absence didn’t really change anything. The Earth didn’t stop spinning without him.

A thought occurred to Meng Chuan. He went upstairs to find Meng Jun, followed him into the study, and once inside said, “Dad, honestly, Huanyu is doing better in your hands. I’m just not as capable as you.”

Meng Jun gave him a calm glance. “You came here just to say that?”

Meng Chuan smiled and slowly revealed his real reason. “Why don’t you keep running things for a few more years? You can retire after your grandson grows up.”

Meng Jun: “…”

“I’m serious,” Meng Chuan said with an earnest face. “Haven’t you seen the media coverage? They say you’re a visionary and a brilliant strategist, while I can’t even compare to your little finger…”

There was no such media coverage. He made it up on the spot.

Ever since Meng Chuan experienced the joy of not working, he’d often fantasize about ditching his responsibilities altogether.

Meng Jun remained expressionless. “Have I been spoiling you too much?”

“Dad, your fifties are the prime of your career,” Meng Chuan said sincerely.

A vein on Meng Jun’s forehead throbbed. He pointed at the door. “Get out. One more word and I won’t be so polite.”

“Okay, okay—how about this? Give me four months off.” Meng Chuan backed away as he bargained. “My wife’s giving birth in two months—I have to be there. After the birth, I need to care for him during recovery. Then he’ll want a little trip to relax. Huanyu will survive without me. But my wife without me? That’s a real disaster—ow! Don’t hit the face!”

Meng Chuan rarely acted this shameless. Seeing him like that only made Meng Jun angrier. He grabbed his ear and kicked him out of the room.

In the end, Meng Chuan didn’t get the idle lifestyle he dreamed of. That very afternoon, he was forced to go back to the company.

But Meng Jun did grant him a four-month leave to take care of Wen Zhongyi.

After less than two days at home, Meng Chuan returned to Sanka after lunch. Before he left, Zhou Lu hesitated and asked if she could come along to visit the “alien world.”

“It’s just that I haven’t seen Xiao Wen in so long—I miss him,” Zhou Lu said.

Meng Chuan looked at the little stone in his hand, thought for a moment, and said, “I don’t know if it works for three people. Let’s try.”

In the end, only he traveled across.

Puzzled, Meng Chuan later brought Father and Dad to try again. Same result—only he vanished.

When he returned again, Wen Zhongyi’s family had already finished dinner. Dad reheated the food for him.

While eating, Meng Chuan pondered. He figured maybe it was because he was the one who first disrupted the timeline, followed by Wen Zhongyi.

After the stone returned him to his original world, this world began correcting the anomalies he had caused. Everything related to him started to fade, but Wen Zhongyi, carrying his child, couldn’t be erased. So he was sent to Meng Chuan’s world.

If just anyone could use the stone, both timelines would fall into chaos.

That meant the stone only worked for him and Wen Zhongyi. Maybe also for Xiao Liuyi—after all, he was their child.

Feeling like he’d cracked the secret of the stone, Meng Chuan excitedly shared his theory with Wen Zhongyi.

Wen Zhongyi blinked in realization. “Oh, so that’s how it works.” Then added with a smile, “You’re so smart.”

As he praised him, he patted his head, making Meng Chuan suddenly feel like a little white dog.

At the end of the month, Wen Zhongyi went for a prenatal checkup at the Sanka Military General Hospital.

Father personally drove him. The moment he appeared, hospital leaders were alerted and hurried over.

Father didn’t hide his relationship with Wen Zhongyi. He told them directly that the omega inside was his son.

Everyone was stunned. How had General Wen had such a grown-up son and never mentioned it?

But in front of a general, they dared not ask too much.

Soon, Wen Zhongyi came out of the exam room supported by Meng Chuan and Dad, and found everyone outside watching him intently.

Not knowing what was going on, he instinctively looked to Father.

Father stepped forward. “How was the exam?”

Dad handed him the ultrasound report. “No problems. The baby’s very healthy.”

Father glanced at the report, then noticed the redness around Dad’s eyes. “Then why are you crying?”

“I’m just… heartbroken.” Dad sighed.

At 36 weeks, Wen Zhongyi’s belly was very large. His body swollen, heavy and sluggish. Just getting up from the exam bed had taken great effort, and Dad had teared up seeing that.

The due date was predicted for June 1st, but it wasn’t exact—birth after 37 weeks is considered normal.

Which meant Wen Zhongyi had officially entered labor’s waiting stage.

And it was the most uncomfortable one.

Not just physically—emotionally too.

Since the third trimester began, Wen Zhongyi often felt breathless at night. In recent days, it had worsened. He’d wake up repeatedly, unable to breathe.

Every time he struggled, Meng Chuan woke immediately, carefully helping him sit up and rub his back.

The room was pitch-black. Only the sound of Wen Zhongyi’s strained breaths could be heard. Meng Chuan reached for the lamp, but Wen Zhongyi croaked, “Don’t turn it on.”

Meng Chuan withdrew his hand. “Okay, I won’t.”

After a few deep breaths, Wen Zhongyi felt a bit better, but didn’t lie down—he just sat there, head lowered.

Meng Chuan rubbed his back, then heard a strange sniffle.

“What’s wrong?” he paused, looking down at his face.

Once asked, Wen Zhongyi couldn’t hold back anymore. He looked up, voice unsteady. “…I feel awful.”

If not for the pregnancy, Wen Zhongyi might never have reached such a vulnerable, helpless emotional low—never said words like “I feel awful.”

Meng Chuan’s heart shattered. He pulled him into a tight embrace, fingers brushing his hair. His throat worked as he murmured, “Don’t cry, don’t cry… We’ll go to the hospital tomorrow. If it’s too much, we’ll induce labor. You don’t need to suffer like this…”

His voice choked, and he couldn’t say more.

Wen Zhongyi’s scent fluctuated, unstable, mirroring his mood.

Books said the closer to delivery, the more anxious a pregnant person became.

Wen Zhongyi hadn’t believed it—until now. Pregnancy could change a person so much. Even crying had become easy.

He could have held it in. But in front of Meng Chuan, he didn’t want to.

Resting his chin in Meng Chuan’s neck, he slowly calmed down, voice muffled, “Would inducing labor hurt the baby?”

“No. I studied up—if the baby’s development is ready, it’s safe.” Meng Chuan comforted him.

Wen Zhongyi, face pressed to his shoulder, left tears and snot on his shirt. After a while, he said softly, “Okay.”

The next morning, Wen Zhongyi woke early. Meng Chuan was still asleep.

But as soon as he tried to get up, Meng Chuan’s eyes opened.

His body had become conditioned—even before his mind was awake, he instinctively helped Wen Zhongyi to the bathroom.

Father and Dad were already having breakfast downstairs. They were surprised. “Up so early today?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Wen Zhongyi replied.

He carefully came down the stairs. He had no appetite, but still forced down a few bites.

“Have some porridge too. You used to love lean pork and veggie porridge, remember?”

Dad pushed the bowl toward him—then paused, blinking slowly. “I… I think I just remembered.”

Wen Zhongyi was slow to react at first, then suddenly looked up in shock.

Father set down his chopsticks. “I remembered a little too.”

Perhaps spending every day with him for half a month had triggered memories from Wen Zhongyi’s childhood.

Not many, but it proved memory recovery was possible.

Wen Zhongyi had never thought his luck could be this good. It was a joyful thing, but he wanted to cry before he could even smile.

After breakfast, Father went to work. Meng Chuan and Dad took Wen Zhongyi to the hospital.

It was already warm out. Wen Zhongyi wore a soft shirt, sat on the bench by the entry, and Dad helped tie up his hair while Meng Chuan put on his shoes.

“Your hair’s so silky,” Dad praised.

He complimented him all the time. Even the smallest things, in Dad’s eyes, seemed like achievements.

At the hospital, the doctor performed a thorough checkup and confirmed he was ready for induction.

“I recommend inducing now,” the doctor said. “You’re at 38 weeks, and the baby’s already close to 3.5 kilograms (about 7.7 pounds). If you wait longer, the baby will grow even faster, and natural delivery will be harder.”

In Sanka, labor induction just required one shot—not painful and with no side effects.

After explaining everything, the doctor asked, “Are you sure you want to induce?”

Wen Zhongyi looked down at his high, taut belly.

After a moment, he said quietly, “I’m sure.”